This invention generally relates to automated systems for dispensing and delivering prescriptions. More specifically, this invention is directed to an automatic prescription order packaging system. The system is preferably used with an automatic prescription dispensing system to automatically package prescription bottles filled by the dispensing system along with other items associated with the prescription order.
Various systems have been developed to automatically fill large quantities of prescription bottles for use primarily in mail order pharmacies. For example, Charhut U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,762 describes an automated prescription bottle filling system. The system described in Charhut automatically fills, labels, caps, and sorts prescription bottles in accordance with prescription orders. Such automatic prescription dispensing systems can significantly reduce the time and expense required to fill a prescription, and can reduce human error inherent in conventional manual prescription filling processes.
However, a significant limitation of such automatic prescription dispensing systems is that a number of additional steps are typically required to prepare the filled prescription orders for shipping. In a conventional mail order pharmacy automatically filled prescription bottles are transported to manual packaging and mailing stations. At these stations, workers assemble the bottles associated with each prescription order and manually place the bottles into shipping packages. A literature packet printed for the order is then manually placed into the shipping package containing the bottles associated with the order. The packages containing the prescription order and associated literature packet are then sent to a manual mailing station, where each package is weighed so that postage can be determined. Postage is then manually applied to avoid damaging the contents of the filled packages.
A shortcoming of such conventional packaging and shipping processes is that they require a number of manually performed operations. These manual operations detract from the efficiency and accuracy achieved by the automated prescription filling process. For a high-volume mail order pharmacy, such manual steps increase labor costs and reduce the speed at which prescription orders are processed. Manual operations can also increase the opportunity for human error, which can result in improper packaging, labeling or shipping of the prescription order.
The automated packaging system described in Lasher et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,657 is an attempt to overcome some of the deficiencies of the conventional manual packaging process. However, that system fails to completely overcome the problems inherent in manual packaging operations. For example, a significant shortcoming of the automated packaging system described in Lasher is that the packages do not leave the system ready for mailing. The packages must be sent to a separate mailing station for weighing, determining postage and labeling. This additional processing not only results in inefficiency, but also introduces opportunity for human error.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a strong need for an automatic prescription order packaging system that can quickly and accurately sort prescription bottles into orders, generate literature associated with each order, apply a shipping label and postage to shipping packages, and load the bottles of each order and associated literature into labeled packages ready for shipping. The present invention provides these and other advantageous results.
The present invention provides an integrated system and method for automatically generating literature, packaging, and preparing prescription orders for mailing.
The automatic packaging machine is an integrated system that can print literature related to the prescription order, join the associated literature and prescription containers (e.g., prescription bottles) to complete the order, place the completed order (prescriptions and literature) into a mailing package, determine shipping costs for the order, print shipping information on the order, manifest and transport the order for shipping. The printer subsystem generates literature associated with each order. The packer system receives the prescription containers composing each order and the literature associated with each order and packages the prescription containers and the literature into a package.
The packer includes a means for determining the weight of the prescription containers and transmitting container weight information. A packer controller receives the prescription container weight information and calculates package weight information based at least in part on the container weight information. A mail manifest system receives the package weight information and generates shipping information that includes postage. A labeler receives the shipping information and applies the shipping information to the package. A loading mechanism inserts the prescription containers and the literature into the package.
The system can also include a host computer having access to a database of information relating to each order. The host computer can communicate with the packer controller and the printer subsystem. The packer controller transmits data to the host computer to initiate printing of literature associated with each order.
The printer subsystem can preferably communicate with the host computer and packer controller. In one embodiment, the printer subsystem can determine document weight information relating to the weight of the literature associated with each order and transmits the document weight information to the packer controller. In another embodiment, the printer subsystem transmits to the packer controller the quantity and type of documents that have been printed as well as the quantity and type of inserts being added to the order (such as return envelopes and coupons). The packer controller determines the package weight information based at least in part on the container weight information and the document weight information. The printer subsystem can also print a machine-readable code on the literature containing information identifying the order associated with the literature. A code reader reads the code on the literature to verify that the literature is being packaged with the correct order.
Each prescription container preferably has a machine-readable code comprising identifying information for identifying the order associated with the container. In one embodiment, the packer subsystem includes an input conveyor, code reader, and container pick-and-place. The input conveyor receives the prescription containers and the code reader reads the code on the containers. Identifying information is transmitted to the packer controller. The container pick-and-place mechanism removes the prescription containers from the input conveyor and transports the containers to a scale. The packer controller controls the container pick-and-place mechanism in accordance with the identifying information.
In one embodiment, the means for determining the weight of the prescription containers includes a scale for weighing the containers. In another embodiment, the weight of the prescription containers is determined using a software program that retrieves information regarding the contents of the container from an order database and calculates the container weight based on predetermined information regarding the weight of the container and the container contents.
The labeler can apply a machine-readable code to the package containing an identifier for identifying the order associated with the package. A code reader reads the code on the package to allow verification that the prescription containers being packaged and the labeled package correspond to the same order.
The system can also include a sorter for sorting prescription containers into an order comprising one or more associated containers. The packer subsystem receives sorted containers from the sorter.
One version of the automatic packaging system includes a packer subsystem comprising a code reader for reading a machine-readable code on the prescription containers received by the packer. The code includes information for identifying the order associated with the prescription container. The automatic packaging system generates literature associated with each order from an internal, dedicated printer subsystem. Pick-and-Place mechanisms are used to marry the literature with the associated order before placing them in a shipping package. The system can also include a packer controller in communication with the code reader for receiving order identifying information from the code reader and transmitting the order identifying information and a print request. The system can also include a host computer in communication with the packer controller for receiving the order identifying information and print request from the packer controller and transmitting data associated with the order to the printer to initiate printing.
The invention also includes a method for automatically packaging prescription orders. Literature associated with each order is printed. The prescription containers and literature are packaged. The packaging step includes determining the weight of the prescription containers and literature. The package weight is calculated based at least in part on the weight of the prescription containers and the weight of the literature. Shipping information including postage is then generated. The shipping information is applied to the package and the prescription containers and the literature are inserted into the package.